Maybe I’m looking at the wrong thread, but you might want to re-read it. All (5+) posters offering their thoughts basically voted for BU for the scholarship, except one person had no info on BU. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-southern-california/2181603-usc-annenberg-vs-northwestern-vs-boston-university.html
fwiw: I’m a big fan of Northwestern, but I’d vote for full tuition at BU over it. (Assuming one likes an urban campus, which I do not.)
I’d take 'Cuse at a 80% discount, too.
The title of this thread caught my eye, because of the ~25 schools we toured, BU was one of the very few that rubbed my child the wrong way. They felt BU was self-important. My kiddo doesn’t read CC, their opinion wasn’t shaped by anything here.
This year BU had over 61000 applicants for 3100 freshman spots. It may not get much love here, but a lot of students are interested in going there. Some of the CC posters knock any private schools due to cost. That’s fine. They can send their kids to State U or better yet community college (even cheaper)!
BU is a fine school, IMO. As others have pointed out here, it is very much the urban school, as is NYU and GW. That’s an attraction to some folks. Not so to many, however, who want the campus and the traditional college experience.
My kids didn’t like the infrastructure of BU, though most of them wanted a large city campus. They preferred the atmosphere of BC , Fordham, Syracuse to BU. My one kid who really liked the idea of a college campus, found that the sports scene and the smaller , cozier college neighborhood of Oakland that Pitt offered was preferable to BU and Northeastern. It wasn’t about the ranking but what schools had a better feel to them. Had it been close, the price would have been a tipping point.
I personally did not like the atmosphere of BU for myself either. However, many many folks from my area, for years have picked BU and loved the experience and done well. I certainly have suggested the school to a number of applicants.
In the last several years, BU has improved financial aid and merit opportunities that have made it an attractive and possible option for those who’d balk at the stacked price. The rankings and selectivity are not factors that Carry much weight with me.
USC was also known as the University of Spoiled Children. It had shed that nickname but its role in the recent admissions scandals has resurrected it.
So can’t see your complaint, OP; this has turned into a BU lovefest(and a USC insultfest as an added bonus).
And it’s an anonymous internet forum; CC recently had a thread which was essentially “Anybody else deeply regret sending your kid to Yale” so no school here gets universal love. If you like BU, that’s really the only thing that matters.
BU sent my son a lot of recruitment material and email, etc which caught our eye. We looked at the school online and did the virtual tour and etc. My father and husband especially felt that writing it off because it is in the city and doesn’t have much in the way of grass on the campus was a big mistake because it was a solid university with lots to offer. I urged my son to give serious consideration to applying there because of all it has to offer. It is the opposite of what I think he wants in terms of size and not having a campus with grass, but it impressed me a lot. I think it is underrated in rankings after having looked at it in detail. There are so many great programs and opportunities and the location lends itself to great internships. It seems very well organized (would have to be to function with so many students). I’m sure like all schools it has some issues and isn’t for everyone, but I think it looks like an impressive school. If I remember correctly, it has good outcomes for students as well. Many people I grew up with wanted to go there as their first choice school, by the way.
I wouldn’t worry about what other people here think about BU compared to any particular schools. It is a solid university and I hope you are having a great experience and will have the outcomes you want afterward. My son didn’t decide to apply because he did want a smaller school and one with more of a traditional campus, but he was tempted because they had what he wanted in terms of academic programs and look like a great university. Best wishes to you!